Today, we are making a new pinto bean recipe, called 'Terry's Texas Pinto Beans'. I have spent much of my life not enjoying beans and have only recently discovered them, mostly thanks to my parents gift of a pressure cooker. This is the recipe I'm using: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Terrys-Texas-Pinto-Beans/Detail.aspx. To go with the beans we'll have cabbage (my favorite, much to my brother's chagrin) and a new bread. I was hoping for a bread to serve at a family chili lunch tomorrow (minus Jax, sniff), so although cornbread is amazing with beans, I found this 'looks-so-wonderful-can-I-wait-for-it-to-rise' recipe that calls for a cornmeal/wheat flour/white flour combo: http://www.krissys-creations.com/2011/05/honey-cornmeal-wheat-bread.html. It is rising as we speak.
Brioche Update:
I have to admit (no offense, Julia Child) but I was quite disappointed by the Brioche. Perhaps because of the time invested (near to 24 hours from beginning to end) or perhaps because I have made 2 'shortcut' brioche recipes before now (which both were wonderful). Whichever the reason, I wasn't that pleased. Darling wasn't very impressed either, but he has been with me in all the bread recipes. We had a friend staying with us who really liked the bread, however. But, just as the recipe was about to be placed in the 'Not Worth My Time' recipes, it was saved by becoming french toast (supposedly a wonderful thing for brioche, and I have to agree). It made some of the best french toast I've had.
Darling & Stephen & I have wanted to read 'The Enormous Egg' by Oliver Butterworth for some time now and strangely, today is the day we started! It is fun and hilarious and, since it takes place on a farm, perhaps even better when you can smell beans cooking and bread rising.
